Introducing the author
Kate Chopin
Kate Chopin, original name Katherine O’Flaherty (1851 – 1904) was an American novelist and short-story writer. She was born and brought up in St. Louise and lived in New Orleans after getting married to Oscar Chopin.
Is Mrs. Baroda a respectable woman? Yes, how? No, how?
Mrs. Baroda is a respectable woman because she concealed her desire to be close and to enjoy with Gouvernail for the sake of the family and simply to perform socially defined gender role. She gave preference to the public self-image of her family to her inner self. Her face-saving act became active due to her sense of respect. She was in one-sided love with the outsider, Gouvernail. Her love remained unexpressed and at the end of the story, she made up her to accept Gouvernail as the sole guest.
Setting of the story
The setting is New Orleans, highly populous city located on the Mississippi river in the Southeastern region of U.S. state Louisiana. It is considered an economic and commercial hub for the boarder Gulf Coast Region of the United Region. The story takes place in a sugar plantation, farm.
Central Idea
The short story ‘A Respectable Woman’ is structured around the character of Mrs. Baroda and her inner conflict as she finds herself attracted to her husband’s friend. The conflict follows the pattern of classical fiction and moves from exposition to rising action and then to climax and resolution.
Characters
Mrs. Baroda
The protagonist of this story Mrs. Baroda, is the epitome of woman that her society demands. She became restless when her husband informed her about his friend Gouvernail’s visit to spend a week or two on the plantation. She pictured him tall, slim, cynical, with eyeglasses, and his hands in his pockets; and she did not like him. To her surprise, he was quite different from what she imagined him to be and she liked him. Though she liked the guest she didn’t express her inner feelings to him. Instead, she started living alone. One day, she asked her husband when his friend was leaving. She lied her husband saying that the guest annoyed her. But in fact, she wanted to be physically close to him. She concealed her desire for she was a respectable woman. Feeling restless with the stress, she left her home early in the morning. She didn’t return until the guest left her house. But, at the end of the story, she asked her husband to invite Gouvernail again promising that she would behave well to him that time.
Mrs. Baroda was greatly tempted to tell her husband about the folly that seized her. She controlled herself to ensure the quality of a respectable woman. She was a sensible woman who sacrificed her inner self for the sake of the family. She knew that there are some battles in life which a human must fight alone. Her one-sided love to Gouvernail remained unexpressed forever.
Gaston
Gaston is Mrs. Baroda’s husband who informed his wife about the visit of his friend onto their plantation. He is simple minded man who trust his wife blindly. He is frank and good to his friend. He couldn’t understand his wife’s opinion about his friend Gouvernail. He tried to understand the reason of his wife’s dislikes to his friend Gouvernail. On the day of his wife’s departure, he found his wife had already departed. At the end of the story, he was surprised and delighted with the propose by his wife to invite Gouvernail again in summer that followed.
Gouvernail
Gouvernail is Gaston’s college friend and now a journalist with whom Mrs. Baroda was in one sided love. He visited the Baroda family to spend a week or two on the sugar plantation. He is slim and receptive. He sat rather mute. He is hard-working and honest. Feeling tired at the plantation, he seemed to sit upon the wide portico, smoking his cigar lazily and listening attentively to Gaston’s experience as a sugar planter. The night when Mrs. Baroda sat alone under the oak tree, he talked to her freely and intimately in a low, hesitating voice. He didn’t bother to learn either she was enjoying his talk or thinking something unimagined. He was a light smoker. For Mrs. Baroda, he was lovable and inoffensive fellow. His personality puzzled Mrs. Baroda who is his guest and his friend’s wife too. Mrs. Baroda’s love remained unexpressed throughout the whole story.
Plot
· Mrs. Baroda knows that her husband’s college friend, now a journalist, Gouvernail is visiting them to spend one or two weeks on the sugar plantation.
· She had conversations with her husband Gaston about the outsider/guest, viz Gouvernail.
· She pictured him tall, slim, cynical; with eye glasses, and his hands in pockets and she didn’t like him.
· When the guest arrived, she him quite different from what she imagined him to be and she liked him. Only similar thing is he was slim enough.
· Gouvernail was rather mute and receptive who listens a lot and speaks less.
· The guest worked hard on the plantation and it looks as if everything was going well.
· Gouvernail’s personality greatly puzzled Mrs. Baroda. She wanted to be physically close to him but she concealed her very desire for the sake of the family. She was sensible enough to a respectable woman of her society.
· She asked her husband when his friend would leave them. She said her husband that the guest annoyed her. She said she had expected him to be interesting but it went wrong.
· One night Mrs. Baroda sat on the bench under the oak tree. Gouvernail went there and started talking freely and intimately about his old college days with Gaston, and about their blind ambitions and intentions.
· Mrs. Baroda only vaguely grasped what he was saying. Instead, she was thinking of being close with Gouvernail. As a respectable woman she said nothing to Gouvernail and left him alone.
· To endure the torture created due to her desire to be physically close with Gouvernail, she left home and didn’t return until the guest left for his own home.
· At the end of the story, unexpected twist can be marked when Mrs. Baroda suggested her husband to invite Gouvernail again on the plantation. This shows the concealment of her inner self for ever to fulfill the duty of a respectable woman in her society.
Understanding the Text
Answer the following questions
a. Why was Mrs. Baroda unhappy with the information about Gouvernail’s visit to their farm?
Mrs. Baroda was unhappy with the information about Gouvernail’s visit to their farm because she wanted to enjoy an undisturbed time with her husband on the plantation. In other words, she was looking forward a grand time to spend with her husband. They had entertained a good deal during the winter; much of time had also been passed in New Orleans in various forms of mild dissipation. When her husband informed her that his college friend Gouvernail would visit them on the plantation, she became so curious about the guest that she unconsciously formed an image of him in her mind. She pictured him tall, slim, cynical with eyeglasses and his hands in pockets; and she didn’t like him.
b. How was Gouvernail different from Mrs. Baroda’s expectation?
Mrs. Baroda had heard much about Gouvernail but had never met him before he visited them to spend one or two weeks on the plantation. As soon as she had learned about Gouvernail’s visit she imagined him a tall, slim, cynical man with eyeglasses and his hands in his pockets. She didn’t like Gouvernail as she pictured in her mind. But she liked him at her first sight. He was slim but he was not very tall, nor cynical, neither did he wear glasses nor carry his hands in his pockets.
c. How does Mrs. Baroda compare Gouvernail with her husband?
Mrs. Baroda makes a comparison between her husband and the guest Gouvernail. Her husband Gaston is wordy and open. He talks frankly in an exciting manner. Unlike her husband, she finds Gouvernail a receptive man with solitary habits. He sits rather mute. He is the one who listens more to the others and speaks less.
d. Why and how did Mrs. Baroda try to change Gouvernail’s solitary habits?
Mrs. Baroda tries to change Gouvernail’s solitary habits because she finds him different from what she expects him to be and her husband assures her the traits he possesses. She expects him to be an interesting person who talks a lot in a friendly way but he sits rather mute and is receptive before her chatty eagerness. She tries to change his solitary habits by making him talk in an exciting and a friendly way. Unlike Gaston, Gouvernail was introvert. Mrs. Baroda tries to change him into the one who is rather frank and wordy. She accompanies him in his idle strolls to the mill and walks along the land by riverside.
e. How does Gaston disagree with his wife on Gouvernail’ s character?
Gaston disagrees with his wife regarding her opinion about Gouvernail’s character. She says that Gouvernail tires her frightfully and she wants his quick departure from their farm. She warns her husband that she shall leave for her aunt if he extends his stay with them. Gaston asks his wife not to take his friend seriously and make a commotion over him. Gouvernail is clever and a man of ideas as he has informed her earlier but now, he is run down (tired/seems to be sick) by overwork.
f. Why is Gaston surprised with his wife’s expression towards the end of the story?
Gaston is surprised with his wife’s expression showing an unexpected twist on her opinion towards Gouvernail at the end of the story. She has informed her husband that she is terribly annoyed by Gouvernail’s receptive and solitary habits. She never agrees with her husband’s idea of inviting Gouvernail again. However, before the year end, she proposes wholly from herself, to have Gouvernail visit them again. Her idea of inviting Gouvernail again greatly surprises and delights Gaston.
Reference to the context
a. What is the cause of conflict in Mrs. Baroda’s mind? What role does Mrs. Baroda ‘being a respectable woman’ play in the story?
The main cause of Mrs. Baroda’s inner conflict is her attraction to her husband’s friend named Gouvernail. She is greatly impressed by Gouvernail’s personality. But her socially and culturally defined gender role doesn’t allow her to express her feelings towards Gouvernail. She concealed her feelings for the sake of the family. Her determination to hide her attraction towards Gouvernail makes her go through a turmoil.
Being a respectable woman, Mrs. Baroda becomes successful to be presented herself as a role model of a respectable woman in her culture and society. Her society doesn’t expect a woman to be attracted to an outsider like Gouvernail. No woman is expected to have a physical relation with a man except her husband. Only a faithful woman to her husband is a respectable one in her culture. She plays the role of the exact woman as required by her community. She saves her public self-image and her husband face by killing her own inner self.
b. Sketch the character of Gouvernail and contrast it with Gaston.
Gouvernail is Gaston’s college friend and now a journalist. He visits Gaston’s farm and spends a week or two on the plantation. He is receptive and longed for solitude. On the contrary, Gaston is frank and wordy. Gouvernail is introvert whereas Gaston is extrovert. Gouvernail is straight-minded for he doesn’t know what Mrs. Baroda is thinking about him. He remains unaware of Mrs. Baroda’s inner feelings. Sitting beside Mrs. Baroda on the night when she sat under the oak tree, his silence melted, so started talking freely and intimately about his college life with Gaston. He doesn’t care what she is thinking about at that time.
c. Why does Mrs. Baroda not disclose her feelings towards Gouvernail to her husband?
Mrs. Baroda doesn’t disclose her feelings towards Gouvernail to her husband to protect her so-called title of a respectable woman. Besides being a respectable woman Mrs. Baroda was very sensible one, so she determines to fight the folly alone. She is aware of the fact that there are some battles that have to be fought alone. If one seeks help or advice from the husband that can have a negative effect. Inner conflict of an individual can be turned into an unimagined disaster which can end one’s marital relation. She conceals her feelings towards Gouvernail to save his family life and her own public self-image.
d. The last three sentences of the story bring a kind of twist. After reading these three sentences, how do you analyze Mrs. Baroda’s attitude towards Gouvernail?
The last three sentences of the story bring an unexpected twist. Mrs. Baroda informs her husband that she has overcome her dislikes for Gouvernail. She assures her husband that she shall be very nice to Gouvernail in case he visits them again. This twist reveals her positive attitude towards Gouvernail. She is always nice to Gouvernail but her sudden attraction to him causes her inner conflict. Whatever she does against Gouvernail’s character is not due to her dislikes to him. It is a mere disguise to hide her likes towards him. Her last decision to have Gouvernail visit them again reveals her recovery of her turmoil and her determination to save her public self-image as a respectable woman.
Dramatic Action in the story
Exposition: Mrs. Baroda is informed that her husband’s friend Gouvernail is visiting them to spend a week or two on the plantation. They entertained a good deal in the winter and Mrs. Baroda planned to enjoy with her husband.
Rising Actions:
· Mrs. Baroda is attracted to Gouvernail
· She tries to change Gouvernail’s solitary habits but her attempt is completely ignored.
· She started choosing loneliness.
· She informs her husband she is annoyed by the guest.
Climax: She left home taking early morning train
Falling Actions: She returned home.
Resolution: She suggests her husband to have Gouvernail visit them again stating that she has overcome her dislikes to him.
